Local bullying trends revealed

A NEW survey published last week has revealed that 60 per cent of local schoolchildren have come across abusive text messages and more than half know somebody who has been affected by online bullying.

The study carried out by Northside TD, John Lyons (Lab), also found that almost 80 per cent of pupils surveyed thought online bullying was a major issue for young children in Ireland.

A total of 46 per cent thought cyberbullying was a major issue in their own school and local community and 29 per cent had directly experienced bullying or abuse on online forums or chat sites.

Worryingly, 37 per cent of those surveyed admitted they’d had photos or videos of themselves uploaded onto the internet and circulated without their permission.

And 38 per cent were aware of videos circulating containing footage of a person in a situation that could cause them embarrassment and upset.

When it came to how victims handled bullying those surveyed said only six per cent of those bullied told an adult and over 20 per cent did nothing at all.

The survey results were published on the same week as Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairi Quinn, announced funding of e60,000 for anti-bullying training sessions for parents.

The money is earmarked for the Anti-Bullying Parent Training Programme being run jointly by the National Parents Council Primary (NPC-P) and the National Parents Council Post Primary (NPC-PP).

The programme is designed to support the implementation of the Action Plan on Bullying, which calls for anti-bulling training and resources for parents and boards of management.

A survey carried out earlier this year by the National Association of Principals and Deputy Principals (NAPD) revealed a 33 per cent increase in students reporting cyberbullying incidents.

Deputy Lyons welcomed the funding announced by Minster Quinn saying it would mean more training to enable parents assist their children with bullying incidents.

“Last year 105 anti-bullying sessions were hosted for parents around the country, including in Ballymun and Drumcondra,

? he added.

“This funding comes at a good time, as the survey I conducted with local students revealed 57 per cent knew someone who had been bullied online, with a third bullied themselves.

“The survey of 100 local students asked about their experiences of being bullied online, how they responded – if at all – and what measures they think should be done to prevent online bullying.

?

Deputy Lyons recently made a submission to the Internet Content Governance Advisory Group set up by Minister for Communications Pat Rabbitte to consider new ways of tackling cyberbullying.

The submission calls for the creation of an intermediary group that could bring complaints to social media companies directly.

The Dublin North West TD also supports the

‘Don’t Be Mean Behind Your Screen’ campaign run by Paula O’Connor, a teacher from St Kevin’s in Finglas who runs successful workshops for parents and 5th and 6th class students.

Ms O’Conner recently told Northside People how advances in technology meant bullying had evolved into a torment that victims now get little respite from.

“Years ago, a kid being bullied could go home every evening and have a break from their suffering in school,

? she said.

“But now, more than ever, bullies can get to their victims 24/7. A bully can send a text whenever they want to or can write something on Facebook so that every time you log in, you’re able to see not just what one person is saying but what a group of people are saying about you.

?

The survey of pupils aged 15-17 carried out by Deputy Lyons found 94 per cent of them had Facebook accounts.

A total of 73 per cent used Snapchat, a social media format that can automatically delete content after ten seconds. However, messages and images can be

‘screen grabbed’ from a phone and saved meaning users can sometimes have a false sense of security about what they post.

Next week a one day seminar on cyberbullying is taking place for teachers at Dublin City University. Organised by the Anti-Bullying Centre the seminar aims to help equip schools with the practical skills, knowledge and confidence to deal effectively with the issue.

The event in the DCU Nursing Building is targeted at guidance counsellors, principals, year heads or anyone wanting to increase their awareness of the subject.

More information on the seminar is available by emailing [email protected].